WhatFinger

On the ground in Israel, Operation Cast Lead

We are All Soldiers on the Front Line

By Ari Bussel ——--January 9, 2009

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Dear Friends of the Free World, Dear Friends of Israel, We are now into the 14th day of Operation Cast Lead. When I arrived in Israel 14 weeks ago, I did not know that Israel would finally find the courage to respond to almost eight years of rockets fired at it. The perception was that Hizbollah and Hamas can continue their race for armament, that Iran can continue its nuclear program and its calls to the annihilation of the Jewish State, while the world looks the other way and Israel itself has lost its deterrence, its conviction, its will to prevail.
Lack of action was justly perceived as a sign of great weakness.  Israelis, like the enemy, expected nothing to happen since the overwhelming focus in Israel was on the upcoming election.  It looked as if, once again, Israel was submitting to an enemy whose appetite knows no boundaries.  Things have finally changed – Israel's leadership is not deterred from responding.  Differences were set aside, unity became the practice rather than the topic of discussion.   A new equation is being formulated:  Firing should stop.  Re-armament must stop.  A kidnapped soldier must not be forgotten.  Anything to the contrary will elicit a response.  It has become apparent over the past two weeks that Israel will continue its efforts until it achieves the objectives of the Operation.    Israel must regain its deterrence and inflict such a blow to Hamas that the lesson will be remembered for years to come.  By pursuing the goals of the Operation, Israel is strengthening its diminished deterrence.  Thus, it must exit only when the goals have been achieved.   It is likely that reaching the goals of Operation Cast Lead will open a new front or fronts.  We must not be afraid, since eventually we will have to pay the price.  The longer we wait, the higher the toll.   Norma Zager, investigative journalist, writes a Postcard from Home:  
We all read Ari's postcards and it frightens me for my children, all children and all grandchildren. I desperately wish I could send him some news from here, the United States, home, that would allay his fears the war is lost. It's impossible to do. This makes me sadder.   Watching the news channels I am outraged by the lies. The lies, the untruths, the betrayal is made only the worse when it spews forth from mouths of Jewish people. The networks interview Jewish people who compare the State of Israel to Nazis and one hears the thunder of six million rolling over in their graves.   News networks report that Israel is preventing children from obtaining food and medical care. There is no mention these children are the same ones their parents strap bombs to and send out to die as martyrs.   Networks talk about disproportional response, yet fail to mention John F. Kennedy was heartbeats away from World War Three to prevent the USSR from building bases in Cuba 90 miles away. Israel and Gaza share a border. 90 miles would be a welcome distance.  [Ed. Note:  Missiles today reach a 26-mile radius.]   The Church criticizes Israel's humanitarian indifference, but where was the outrage of the church when Jews and Americans were singled out for death in Mumbai? A Christian friend admits she is puzzled that the church doesn't understand it is embroiled in this war and vows to bring the question to the attention of her Pastor.   The Judeo-Christian world should urge the Pope to keep in mind Israel is fighting the last holy war. If Israel has lost, the next stop will be Rome. The armies of the Vatican will prove to be a pathetic adversary against the armies of the Islam extremists on that day. One holds the hope of the Book, the other the sword. Hope will be a faint memory when that battle is finally fought.   At events in Beverly Hills, a city of enlightened Jewry, some mention Ari's postcards and it's encouraging. I begin to engage them in a dialogue. They are disinterested. Following praise for Ari's prose, they are indifferent to the cries of their people. For too many Jewish people, Israelis are not actually their concern.   The conversation turns back to the mundane topics at hand, local elections in the city, a story in one of the papers, about a corrupt governor in Chicago, as if this were news of any value or surprise.   On Sunday we'll will go to a rally for Israel. Pictures are sometimes taken, and once I'd have attempted to hide. But no longer. Perhaps, as in the past, my name will appear on a Palestinian website as a Jewish journalist.  I say this with a sense of pride that Ari understands. At these rallies, Jewish protestors wrap themselves in Israeli flags as Palestinians scream for their death. A flag, an armband with a star. Isn't it all the same after all?   From here the picture is no clearer, no more optimistic, no lighter. One can only say, Ari be safe, but I am aware, we are not safe here in America any longer.   Who shall be afraid for whom now?
  The fight has transferred to new fronts, the world over.  Demonstrations throughout the USA and Europe are showing the true face of anti-Semitism, the real hatred for Israel and the Jews.  Here is a report by a law enforcement officer in Los Angeles who visited Israel for the first time less than a month ago:  
Thanks for the updates on what has been gong on.  I think a lot of us have a much better understanding of the situation since our trip.  Over here (in LA) we have been dealing with about three protests a week at the Israeli Consulate.  It's pretty heated on both sides of the debate (Israel supporters on one side of the street and Palestinian supporters on the other).     I was amazed to see the women and children from the Palestinian side run across the street and curse and give the finger to the Israeli side.....and most of these kids were under 10 years old.  We also saw someone flying the hezbollah flag and place it on a traffic light among other flags.     The outright support of a terrorist organization (one that had killed numerous Americans) in the US like that sickened me.  It makes me wonder what people are truly thinking and supporting behind closed doors. Anyway, stay safe.
  You are all soldiers on the front line.  You are all fighting for the world, for all the freedoms we have grown so accustomed to enjoy.  The front line in Gaza and the 26- mile radius around it – current reach of rockets - has extended.  You are now involved – in Los Angeles and New York and Miami, in London and Paris and Antwerp, in South Africa and New Zealand and Australia, in Hong Kong and Japan and Taiwan--and there is no backing out.  With clarity of thought and moral conviction, we march together forward.  We must be victorious.   I welcome your comments, thoughts and recent experiences.  On behalf of Israel, thank you for taking part in this war for our continued existence.

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Ari Bussel——

Ari Bussel is a reporter and an activist on behalf of Israel, the Jewish Homeland.  Ari left Beverly Hills and came to Israel 13 weeks to work in Israel Diplomacy’s Front from Israel.

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